Sågen Studio 3
A Neighbourhood Patch Torbjörn Winroth
When experiencing Holmsund for the first time, with no preconception of it at all, one find difficulties in distinguishing its central area from the rest. The retail and the activated streets are far between and going from one commercial venue to the other there is little indication that you are on the right track to find more. There is an apparent issue with the activated areas of the street and in their incoherence.
In the past 50 years Holmsund has lost most of its identity and a lot of retail as well which partly explains its fragmented core. The sawmills are dismantled and retail is more diverse in Umeå which is now only 15 minutes away by car, so why not go there right?. Holmsunds most salient history, the sawmilling industry is gone. This is a tragic loss as such a strong identity can bring social and commercial diversity to the region. Umeå today is, in an osmotic manner, absorbing what there is left of Holmsund’s and the surrounding countryside’s identity. The people of Holmsund really miss the cafés and even the smells and noises of the sawmill, so there is certainly something tangible to cling to in order to reinvigorate Holmsunds identity and urban core.
By patching up the fragmented network of activated streets the aim is to better define the central area of Holmsund and generate a coherence in the central parts of it, making it easier to orient oneself along a sequence of city centre functions. It is important to adress the recent commercial losses as well in order for the commercial identity to become strong and rooted. By offering housing and a woodworking workshop locals will have a place for creating in collaboration with others, socially engaging the neighbourhood and the rest of Holmsund in an identity they all share, the creation of wood products. Providing a venue for rent and an intimate garden as well in this same spot sets the stage for synergical effects that change how well the locals know each other.
These activities all share that they create social interaction as a side effect - and when people interact identity is reinforced as people start to nurture a similar idea of where they are.
Holmsund is in need of patching together its centre to create a sense of coherence, sequential experience and for people to engage in different activities along the way that create the Holmsund identity. As Holmsunders get to create their shared identity they will get to know each other as well.
